


An Unusual Birthday Gift

by Passions



Series: Value Beyond Measure [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 23:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1876350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Passions/pseuds/Passions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle's friends just want her thirtieth birthday to be as exciting as they can make it. But Belle is a little overwhelmed by their idea of a gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unusual Birthday Gift

"So."

Belle frowned as she looked across the diner table at Ruby where she sat next to Mary Margaret. Belle sat next to Emma. “So, what?”

Ruby smiled. “It’s your birthday in a week.”

Belle rolled her eyes. “And?”

"You’re turning thirty."

"And so will you be."

Ruby shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. “Not for a few months, and that isn’t the point.”

"Well what is the point."

The dark haired girl’s grin was wolfish. “We need to celebrate.” 

Belle sighed. Ruby’s idea of a celebration, especially for a thirtieth birthday, was probably going to be way over Belle’s limits of things she could handle. She loved her friend, but Ruby’s sense of fun didn’t always run parallel to her own.

A year ago, for Emma’s thirtieth birthday, Ruby had conceded that Las Vegas was too far away for a road trip, so instead they’d driven to Atlantic City and spent the weekend at casinos and dance clubs. Two years before that, for Mary Margaret’s thirtieth, Ruby had decided on a lovely dinner in Boston followed by an evening at the performance of a male stripping group.

Given the evidence of previous years, Belle was worried about what Ruby had come up with this time.

Wincing she asked, “What sort of celebration are you thinking, exactly?”

"You’re lonely." Ruby said.

Belle was confused - that didn’t seem to relate to what she had asked. “I’m not lonely, Ruby.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Nice try, sweetcakes. We’re actually pretty observant, and you’re not as sneaky as you think you are.”

Belle looked around at Mary Margaret and Emma. They were nodding.

"Belle, in the last two months you have read: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, North and South, Persuasion, an entire book of Shakespeare’s Sonnets," Mary Margaret paused, "Should I keep going?"

Belle blushed and hung her head.

"Not to mention we can see the way you look at him." Emma said.

Belle’s head shot up and she stared at the blonde woman, even more heat rushing to her cheeks. “I - who?”

Emma rolled her eyes, but she kept her voice low. “Oh let it go, Belle. We know you’ve got a thing for Gold.” She held up her hand to stop the next question. “No. It’s not obvious to everyone. We just know you well, that’s all.”

Belle slumped into the booth, hearing the leather creak slightly underneath her. “Fine, yes. But what does it matter. He’s hardly going to be interested in me, is he?”

"Well," Ruby’s eyes glittered, "That’s where your birthday present comes in."

"Oh?" Belle was leaning away, warily.

Ruby grinned and gestured for Emma to talk.

The Sheriff played with her napkin, folding and refolding it as she spoke. “It seems that, erm, Jefferson has a business he’s been running for a little while now. It’s, uh, a male escort agency. You can’t legally solicit sex, so technically they’re just ‘companions’, but you know, stuff happens. Anyways it seems like Gold, uh, works for him. He’s ranked pretty highly too, apparently.”

Belle was stunned. This was beyond anything she could have even imagined Ruby planning. A part of her was excited by the prospect of buying Rhys Gold for the night, of having him at her mercy to play out any number of the fantasies her imagination had come up with. But another part shuddered at how impersonal it was. She wanted him, sure, but she also liked him. She’d rather lose out on her fantasies and know him as a person than the other way around.

She was shaking her head as she looked away from Emma, but Ruby reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

"I know it’s a crazy idea, Belle, but it could be really good! Jefferson will give us the money back if you decide not to - "

"You already paid?" Belle cut her off with a shriek, her face flaming as she realized the other people in the diner had heard. She lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. "Ruby, why would you do that?" She covered her face with her hands, trying to hide the mortified blush that covered it.

"It’s alright, Belle," Ruby said, reaching over to pull Belle’s hands away,"Like I said, Jefferson will refund us completely if you decide not to go through with it. I really hope you’ll look into it though." She shrugged. "It might be nice, to have him to yourself for a night."

Mary Margaret reached over to take one of Belle’s hands and Emma rubbed her back gently.

Ruby slid a small piece of paper with a website written on it across the table to her. “Just … give it a chance, okay? We just want to make you happy for your birthday.”

Belle sighed and closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down before she opened them again and reached down to pick up the slip of paper.


End file.
